Select Local Merchants

Owners Howard Abraham and Teddy Glytsea are no strangers to inflatable fun. Not only does the duo also own Inflatable Party Adventures, but one or both can be found at Screamin’ Parties at any time, ensuring each attraction's optimum springiness and impeccable cleanliness.As sock-covered feet trample about inside several bounce houses, young ones cut a rug on an interactive game floor and relive Jacques Cousteau’s worst day ever by gliding through a 20-foot inflatable shark slide. Screamin' Parties' newest attraction, the Screamin' Party Machine, is a state-of-the-art simulator that recreates the thrilling turns and drops of real roller coasters. An obstacle course beckons excitable tots to zoom through its cushiony labyrinth, and oversized piano keys stretch across the floor to invite rousing performances by stomping feet. Trained staffers keep a close eye on every colorful attraction, offering careful attention for those with special needs, and spend the end of each day wiping down and sanitizing every surface.

facet: Main
type: Traditional
locale: en_US
title: Tiger Schulmann’s Kickboxing & MMA
facet_type_id: 863da640-5f37-1032-b7bf-3e98706163e1
html_text: Winner of more than 100 mixed-martial-arts competitions, Tiger Schulmann shares his pride and love for fighting and self-defense with both adults and children in gyms across five states. From first-time grapplers to expert muay thai fighters, students of all fitness and experience levels are welcome to dive into a class at Schulmann’s. At more than 47 locations, adults can take classes in kickboxing, MMA, and jujitsu—the last of which instills students with the skill and confidence to take down opponents of any size, strength, or telekinetic ability. Kids, meanwhile, can learn martial arts for fun, or gain useful experience in bully prevention; the kids’ classes help victims immediately identify and safely diffuse situations when pitted against an aggressor.

If you love sports, you'll probably also love 1 877 Scuba USA in Paramus.
The doors are open for you at this club with their people friendly restaurant and great, home-cooked food.
Take the kids along too — this club is a great spot for families with activities that even little ones will love.
Parking is plentiful, so visitors can feel free to bring their vehicles.

Martial arts at Paramus' La Boxing is a great workout that will leave you feeling Zen.
Learn how to defend yourself in a wide variety of situations with a mixed martial arts class.
Tone your body and strengthen your core with a group kickboxing class.
Parking is plentiful, so guests can feel free to bring their vehicles.

Exorbitant greens fees, travel expenses, and membership costs make playing such world-renowned courses as Pebble Beach Golf Links, TPC at Sawgrass, and the Old Course at St. Andrews nearly impossible for most golfers. While The Players Club can’t finance lavish golf trips or sneak players into exclusive clubhouses in camouflaged Members Only jackets, it can provide the next-best thing.
Inside the club’s 8,000-square-foot facility, six golf simulators immerse players in highly realistic, 3-D renditions of nearly 50 famous courses, including the aforementioned courses as well as The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, The Preserve at Bay Harbor, and Donald Ross Memorial. As golfers swing through their virtual rounds, each simulator takes precise ball-flight measurements—such as distance and spin rate—and provides feedback in real time to abet improvement.

The PGA professionals who founded the Garden State Golf Academy understand that even naturally talented players can have trouble fine-tuning their skills without proper training and practice. Their faculty's belief in quality training forms the foundation of every lesson, where teachers help players of all ages and skill levels learn or improve their games through individual or group instruction. They also back their years of knowledge with advanced teaching technologies, including golf simulators that recreate realistic 18-hole rounds of golf complete with changing wind conditions and muffled shouts of "play through." Cameras catch every minute detail of a player’s swing with vivid clarity at 1,000 frames per second, helping instructors point out subtle shifts of the hips and other issues that can impact the shot’s trajectory.

Groupon Guide

Biking is a great and safe way to see New York City—no, seriously! In the past decade, the city has seen a surge in the number of cyclists rolling through its streets. Dedicated bike lanes now connect many parts of the city, making it possible to ride without having to do battle with Manhattan traffic. The leisure ride described below—or any part of it, depending on what you’re up for—takes riders along both sides of the East River, and can easily be done in one weekend afternoon: the whole route takes about 50 minutes. It’s all on bike paths or lanes, and best of all, it takes you right to some of Long Island City’s cultural gems, all without having to wait on a single subterranean subway platform while the sun shines without you.
Hug the shoreline on your way to Wards Island
This ride starts from the quiet and scenic neighborhood of Yorkville—that northeast slice of the Upper East Side that prides itself on not being the Upper East Side. You’ll be zipping along the riverside promenade for pedestrians and cyclists that extends all along the east side of Manhattan. Starting on the stretch of promenade that goes through Carl Schurz Park, ride north past Gracie Mansion until you get to the Wards Island Bridge at 103rd Street. Twice along this route, you’ll have to lug your sweet ride up or down a flight of stairs—but luckily, they’ve installed these neat bicycle rails so you can just push your bicycle up without having to carry it.
Once you cross over to Wards Island, you’ll ride pretty on wide asphalt paths surrounded by lots of gardens and greenery. Savor the scenery as you proceed on your way to the next and last bridge.
Wards Island Bridge as seen from Wards Island.
Huff and puff your way up the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
The Robert F. Kennedy Bridge is admittedly unscenic when compared to the now-defunct Hell Gate Bridge right beside it. It is also the most challenging part of the trip. The ramp up to the bridge is a good five-minute uphill ride (enough to induce red-faced panting from me), and it’s a bit noisy, though the path is safe and separated from all car traffic. Technically, you are required to walk your bike on all parts of the bridge, though this seems to be a widely disregarded rule. But your struggle will be rewarded—after the uphill climb, it’s a leisurely stroll or roll down on the other side.
Hell Gate Bridge.
Absorb some art at Socrates Sculpture Park
Your first stop in Long Island City, Queens, is Socrates Sculpture Park, open every day from 10 a.m. to sunset. The sculptural works on view change regularly, there’s free yoga and tai chi every weekend, and it offers a beautiful view of Manhattan. If you want a break from the sun, skip this park and head to the Noguchi Museum just across the road (admission is $10). You’ll find a sculpture collection inside, as well as a sculpture garden in the courtyard and a cute café.
A sculpture at the Noguchi museum.
Treat yourself to street food at the LIC Flea
You’ve probably worked up an appetite by now with all this physical activity and appreciation of culture, so cruise down the Vernon Boulevard bike path to the food tents at the Long Island City Flea. Vendors there offer the cross-cultural foods that are the hallmark of so many Brooklyn outdoor events, such as burgers, dumplings, empanadas, salads, and lemonades. If you’re in the mood to shop, there’s also antiques, artwork, clothing, and knickknacks aplenty on sale, with what seems to me like better prices than flea markets you’ll find in the “hipper” borough to the south.
Eclectic food options at the Long Island City Flea. Photo courtesy of the Long Island City Flea.
Relax with scenic views in Hunter’s Point South Park
After the LIC Flea, head south along the water or bike paths to one of the city’s newest parks, an industrial site turned landscaping beauty called Hunter’s Point South Park. Built last year, the park is one of the upshots of the gentrification of Long Island City, with sleek landscaping, weirdly fancy public bathrooms, and a beautiful view of the city (as the stunning photos on the architects’ website show). A wide, smooth path leads across the park’s sprawling lawns toward piers packed with park benches from the future, perfectly designed for an intrepid cyclist to take a well-deserved break.
A view of Long Island City from Hunter's Point South Park.
Choose your own bike adventure
From here, you have a few options to finish out your day:
If you haven’t had enough culture, head to MoMA PS1, a few minutes’ ride northeast. It’s a must-see, $5-admission museum housing MoMA’s contemporary collection. (Note, though, that on Saturdays until September 6, the museum closes its galleries and instead hosts concerts in its courtyard that cost $20.)
Ride over the Pulaski Bridge to Williamsburg’s many restaurants and bars (don’t drink and ride—remember bikes are allowed on the MTA).
Head home, knowing you’ve made the most of one of our last summer days this year.
Check Groupon for more great things to do in New York City.
Photos by Kasia Mychajlowycz unless otherwise noted.

An Art-Packed Bike Trip to Long Island City | Kasia Mychajlowycz
Follow our 50-minute itinerary to skyline views and Noguchi sculptures as you breeze from the UES to Queens.
At FIKA, Chocolate is a Work of Art | Amy L. Hayden
Take a peek inside the café's Tribeca factory, where Håkan Mårtensson creates chocolate sculptures inspired by toadstools and Star Wars.
Cheap Eats Before a Free Concert in Prospect Park | Kasia Mychajlowycz
From vegetarian Chinese food to fat, juicy cheeseburgers, the cuisine at these four restaurants is ideal for fueling up before a show.
The Donut Pub: A New Fad at an Old New York Institution | Amy L. Hayden
A peek inside a donut shop that's been serving ring-shaped pastry 24 hours a day, 7 days a week since the '60s.
Tasting Menu: Porsena Chef Sara Jenkins Picks Her Favorite NYC Restaurants | Halley Lawrence
She’s been called “one of the few chefs in America who understands Italy and how Italians eat.” So where does she dine when she’s not in the kitchen?
The Other Madison Avenue: Five Vintage Finds on the Upper East Side | Kasia Mychajlowycz
Tucked in among expensive salons and groceries, these resale and consignment shops offer the best designer-clothing deals in the city.
Six Overlooked But Awesome Exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History | Mel Kassel
You’ve seen the dinosaurs, but what about the dragons? Or the sapphire that was stolen in a 1960s jewel heist?
An Art-Filled Beach Day at PS1's Rockaway! | Kasia Mychajlowycz
From photography by Patti Smith to cheap beachside beer, here's what to look out for at PS1's latest offsite exhibit.

This week’s list of reasons to leave the house include a whimsical animated Japanese movie, gallery openings in Chelsea, and a two-day outdoor poetry festival. If that still doesn’t fill your calendar, remember that you can always check Groupon for more great things to do in New York City.
Summer Restaurant Week
July 21–August 15
The summer edition of restaurant week brings three-course prix fixe menus to eateries such as Red Rooster Harlem, Café Boulud, Bann Restaurant, and Tertulia (pictured above). Luckily, the “week” actually runs for three-and-a-half weeks, so there’s still plenty of time to make reservations at crowded spots ahead of time. ($25 lunch, $38 dinner; see a full list of participants)
Neutral Milk Hotel at Prospect Park Bandshell
Prospect Park | Tuesday, July 22, and Wednesday, July 23, 7 p.m.
It may have been 15 years since their last tour, but Neutral Milk Hotel haven’t lost the idiosyncratic touch that made 1998’s In the Aeroplane over the Sea an indie classic. Join a packed crowd in Prospect Park to hear frontman Jeff Mangum weave together his eccentric, Anne Frank–inspired lyrics with horn-centric melodies. ($39.50 in advance, $45 day of; buy tickets here for Wednesday’s show)
A Letter to Momo
West Village | Wednesday, July 23–Tuesday, July 29
A fanciful, hand-drawn tale in a similar vein to Spirited Away, 2011’s A Letter to Momo tells the story of a Japanese teenager, Momo, whose only relic of her lost father is a letter to her he never finished. Momo comes to terms with her loss with the help of three mischievous goblins who have taken up residence in her mother’s attic. (IFC Center, 323 Avenue of the Americas; $14 adults, $10 children and seniors, $9 IFC members; buy tickets here)
Chelsea Art Walk
Chelsea | Thursday, July 24, 5 p.m.–8 p.m.
More than 100 participating galleries in Chelsea stay open late for a free public viewing of their summer exhibitions, as well as artist talks, openings, and other events. (free; see a full list of participating galleries)
New York City Poetry Festival
Governors Island | Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
The fourth annual event brings literati to Governors Island for a weekend of readings and performances by more than 250 poets, including Mark Doty, Joyelle McSweeney, Matthea Harvey, and Paul Muldoon. In between sets, browse indie crafts and booksellers’ wares, fuel up with snacks from food vendors including Morris Grilled Cheese and Mud Coffee, or quaff pints in a beer garden sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery. (free; register here)
Photo of Tertulia by Jen Davis